By Kemo Cham
The date for the next edition of Sierra Leone’s leading science festival has been announced, coming two years after the last edition.
The National Science and Leadership Festival (SciLeadFest2026) will be held from January 14-16, 2026, organizers said on Monday.
The event cohosted by Project 1808, Inc. and Koinadugu College is convened in Kabala, Koinadugu District, northern Sierra Leone. It brings together scientists, innovators, policy makers and students to interact and discuss the intersection between science and leadership, among others. The event also entails cultural performances and aspects about psychosocial wellbeing. It usually takes place in the Red Cross Compound campus of the Koinadugu College.
Project 1808, a non-profit registered in the US and Sierra Leone, is dedicated to building collective success through empowering the next generation of transformational leaders. The Koinadugu College is one of its initiative, as is the SciLeadFest.
SciLeadFest was previously held annually, until the 7th and last edition in 2024, after which the organizers decided to hold it as a biennial event.
The last edition bought together over 500 participants from across Sierra Leone and beyond. Some of the guests came from overseas, including the US, the Middle East, and elsewhere across Africa.
Participants have the option of attending presentations in several disciplines, including biology, chemistry, agriculture, environment, climate change, and arts and culture. There are also presentations on Information, Communication, and Technology; Leadership, Behavioral Sciences, Sociology, and Governance; and the Mass Media and Journalism. Students of all ages also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on experiments using basic and advanced scientific tools.
There are also panel discussions on pressing social issues facing Sierra Leone, like drug abuse, environmental protection and food security.
Prof. Alhaji Umar Njai, Founder and Chief Strategist of Project 1808 in a statement unveiling the date promised a “Bigger than ever” event.
SciLeadFest2026 is being convened under the theme: ‘#STEEAMM and Leadership: Breaking Barriers – Building on the African Cultural Foundation for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Research and Development in Sierra Leone and Africa.’
Prof. Njai said in the statement that the event is an effort to democratize and decolonize science and leadership.
“Science and technology are fundamental to advancing quality of life in all societies. Translating ideas to practice in communities, requires effective and visionary leadership and domestication of modernization through empowering of indigenous cultural systems,” it said.
Project 1808 is inviting volunteers, thought leaders, influencers, community leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and everyone interested in the goal of the event to join it in the course.
